Nerad named to new professorship
The Fuerste name has been synonymous with eye care in the Dubuque, Iowa, area for more than a half-century. Now, thanks to a gift of more than $1.6 million, the University of Iowa is honoring the Fuerste legacy with the Marion and Frederick Fuerste, M.D., Professorship in Ophthalmology.
The UI created the professorship using funds from a charitable bequest in the will of Marion Fuerste, the late widow of UI alumnus Dr. Frederick Fuerste Jr., M.D. Frederick and Marion Fuerste died in 2003 and 2005, respectively.
Dr. Jeffrey Nerad, a professor in the UI Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, was named the inaugural Fuerste Professor in an investiture ceremony on Dec. 19.
“It is a great honor to be named to a position honoring the Fuerstes,” Nerad said. “Throughout my career, I have held Dr. Fuerste in high esteem, and I have been fortunate to have such a wonderful personal and professional relationship with the Fuerste family. This professorship will enable my colleagues and me to advance our work in the Oculoplastic, Orbital and Oncology Service at Iowa. Through their generosity, as with Dr. Fuerste’s long career, the Fuerstes will touch the lives of many eye patients.”
Dr. Gretchen Fuerste, said the professorship is a fitting tribute to her parents.
“My father always credited his and his family’s success to the University of Iowa,” Fuerste said, noting that four of the six Fuerste children attended the UI, and that beginning in 2009 her daughter will represent the fourth generation in the family to attend the UI medical school. “I know that our parents would be very happy to know that the Fuerste Professorship will live on at our alma mater.”
Nerad earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from the University of California at Los Angeles and a medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine. He completed an internship at Maricopa County General Hospital; a residency in ophthalmology at St. Louis University; a preceptorship in oculoplastic and orbital surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, England; and a fellowship in oculoplastic and orbital surgery at the UI. Nerad joined the UI faculty in 1985.